Berlin 2012 – scientific programme

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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 16: Poster: Colloids and Complex Liquids

CPP 16.43: Poster

Tuesday, March 27, 2012, 18:15–20:45, Poster A

Phase behavior of microemulsions with weak and strong surfactants — Harsha Paroor and •Doris Vollmer — MPI for Polymer Research, Mainz, Germany

Microemulsions are thermodynamically stable, isotropic mixtures of water, oil and surfactant. Depending on the temperature and concentration, surfactant molecules associate into a micellar, lamellar, hexagonal or sponge like bicontinous structure. To quantitatively predict the phase behavior we proposed a modified Helfrich equation describing the morphologies. It assumes that within a well-defined temperature interval two spontaneous curvatures coexist. To investigate the validity of this assumption we investigate the phase boundaries by various measurements. The spontaneous curvature is calculated from fitting the emulsification boundaries. Experimentally determined values for the phase transition temperatures and specific heat have been successfully fitted to the unified model.